A2500, Lower Road Improvement, Minster Proposal
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DeliveringUnlocking CongestionGrowth without‐Growth Gridlockwithout Gridlock in Kent in Kent A2500Lower Road,– Lower Minster Road Improvement, Minster National Productivity Productivity Investment Investment Fund Fund for forthe theLocal Local Road NetworkNetwork Application Application Form Form June 2017 Supported by Kent County Council A2500, LOWER ROAD IMPROVEMENT, MINSTER 2 Kent County Council A2500, LOWER ROAD IMPROVEMENT, MINSTER Preface I am delighted to submit this bid for the National Productivity Investment Fund for the Local Road Network. Kent has ambitious targets for growth, and as a County Council we recognise that transport infrastructure is vital to stimulating regeneration and encouraging people and businesses to come to Kent. We are passionate about growing the local economy and positively contributing to the wider regional and national picture, where our role as an important International Gateway comes to the fore. The ability to travel easily, quickly and safely to our destinations requires a transport network that caters for current demand, enables growth and supports a growing population. We therefore welcome this opportunity to fund such an important scheme to simultaneously ease congestion and help provide for safe walking and cycling. The scheme proposes to widen a 1.1km section of the A2500 Lower Road between the A249 and Barton Hill Drive on the Isle of Sheppey, including the construction of a new shared footway/cycleway alongside the road which will provide the infrastructure for all road users, currently lacking in this location, and enabling 620 homes and 216 associated jobs to be created. These improvements will join up with a Local Growth Fund scheme to upgrade the junction with Barton Hill Drive and therefore maximise the benefits of that work too. The scheme will support economic growth in what has historically been a relatively deprived area of the county by improving journey quality and reliability into town centres and key employment sites, as well as access to/from the Strategic Road Network (A249). The footway/cycleway will connect communities east-to- west between Minster and Queenborough as well as providing a commuter link for existing and proposed residential development in the immediate vicinity of the scheme. Reliable transport links to employment areas and service centres are essential to supporting housing growth and increasing productivity. Being within the Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission area, the Isle of Sheppey is ripe for economic growth. Investment plans are being made by Peel Ports (Port of Sheerness), Highways England are upgrading M2 Junction 5, there is development at Kemsley Fields Business Park and Eurolink Business Park (both in Sittingbourne), not forgetting the Homes and Communities Agency-led regeneration on the Isle of Sheppey itself at Queenborough and Rushenden. We must now secure investment on the Local Road Network to ensure that people can access these exciting opportunities and the productive output of the area can grow. Investment in this scheme will therefore achieve excellent value for money. 3 Kent County Council A2500, LOWER ROAD IMPROVEMENT, MINSTER Our proposal is fully supported by our Local Transport Plan 4: Delivering Growth without Gridlock 2016 – 2031, which sets out the improvements to Lower Road and improved east-west cycleways on Sheppey as key priorities for the Swale Borough area. Furthermore, our Active Travel Strategy clearly sets out our ambition to make active travel an attractive and realistic choice, recognising the significant benefits this brings to public health, reducing congestion and improving air quality. This scheme directly supports those objectives. The South East Local Enterprise Partnership’s (SELEP) Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) highlights the Thames Gateway Kent (including Sheppey) as an area with comparatively low productivity and skills, and so this scheme supports SELEP’s plans to combat this legacy from the area’s industrial past. I can assure you of our successful track record in delivering similar schemes elsewhere in the County; we met the March 2015 funding deadline for the delivery of two schemes, funded through the Local Pinch Point Fund, North Farm Improvements and Westwood Relief Strategy (Poorhole Lane Widening). Likewise, we are successfully delivering a large programme of Local Growth Fund schemes, including the widening of the M20 Junction 4 Western Overbridge from 2 to 3 lanes, which was delivered within budget in 2016. Finally, the A2500 Lower Road improvement scheme has very strong local support at County and Borough level. The land will be gifted by the land owner and match funding of 34% though commitments from developer and local authority contributions has been achieved. Fundamentally, this scheme directly accords with the aims of the National Productivity Investment Fund for the Local Road Network by removing transport barriers to economic growth, unlocking housing development and connecting communities with existing employment opportunities. As such I commend it to Government. Matthew Balfour Kent County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, Transportation and Waste 4 Kent County Council A2500, LOWER ROAD IMPROVEMENT, MINSTER List of Appendices Appendix Title Appendix A Letter of Support from Swale Borough Council Appendix B Letter of Support from the land owner and developer Appendix C Letter of Support from the South East LEP Appendix D Project Impact Proforma Appendix E Appraisal Summary Table Appendix F Detailed Project Plan in GANTT Form Appendix G Risk Register with Quantified Risk Assessment (QRA) Appendix H Risk Management Strategy Appendix I Letter of Support from Gordon Henderson MP Appendix J Letter of Support from KCC s151 Officer Appendix K Letter of land valuation from Bruton Knowles 5 Kent County Council A2500, LOWER ROAD IMPROVEMENT, MINSTER Applicant Information LOCAL AUTHORITY NAME Kent County Council BID MANAGER NAME AND POSITION Mary Gillett, Major Capital Programme Manager CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER 03000 411638 EMAIL ADDRESS [email protected] POSTAL ADDRESS Kent County Council, Highways, Transportation and Waste, Invicta House, County Hall, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XX WEBLINK FOR PUBLISHED BID www.kent.gov.uk/transportfunding COMBINED AUTHORITIES If the bid is from an authority with a Combined Authority, please specify the contact, ensure that a Combined Authority has provided a note ranking multiple applications, and append a copy to this bid. Name and position of Combined Authority Bid Co-ordinator: N/A Contact telephone number: N/A Email address: N/A Postal address: N/A When authorities submit a bid for funding to the Department, as part of the Government’s commitment to greater openness in the public sector under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, they must also publish a version excluding any commercially sensitive information on their own website within two working days of submitting the final bid to the Department. The Department reserves the right to deem the business case as non-compliant if this is not adhered to. 6 Kent County Council A2500, LOWER ROAD IMPROVEMENT, MINSTER Sheppey Crossing Section A – PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND FUNDING PROFILE A1. PROJECT NAME A2500, Lower Road Improvement, Minster A2. PROPOSED PROJECT The scheme proposes to improve a 1.1km section of the A2500 Lower Road between the A249 and Barton Hill Drive on the Isle of Sheppey, including widening of the carriageway and construction of a new shared footway/cycleway, supporting future growth and transforming the journey experience for all road users. 7 Kent County Council A2500, LOWER ROAD IMPROVEMENT, MINSTER Figure 1: Concept Arrangement 8 Kent County Council A2500, LOWER ROAD IMPROVEMENT, MINSTER Figure 2: Scheme Constraints Plan 9 Kent County Council A2500, LOWER ROAD IMPROVEMENT, MINSTER Figure 3: Land Ownership 10 Kent County Council A2500, LOWER ROAD IMPROVEMENT, MINSTER A3. GEOGRAPHICAL AREA The A2500 Lower Road is located in Minster on the Isle of Sheppey. The link serves as the primary route for traffic from the A249 Sheppey crossing to the east of Sheppey (Eastchurch and Leysdown). It also provides the main through route to the three prisons on the island. Figure 4: Geographical Area including development sites OS Grid Reference: Easting (x); 593672, Northing (y) 171582 Postcode: ME12 3RL (nearest) A4. TYPE OF BID Small project bids (requiring DfT funding of between £2m and £5m) Large project bids (requiring DfT funding of between £5m and £10m) A5. EQUALITY ANALYSIS Has any Equality Analysis been undertaken in line with the Equality Duty? Yes No An Equality Impact Assessment Initial Screening Report has been completed in line with the Kent County Council’s guidance on Equality and Diversity. The assessment report concludes that a full Equality Impact Assessment will not be required for the proposed scheme. The assessment identifies a low impact of the scheme and does not have an adverse impact on any particular group of protected characteristics. The report is still to be reviewed by the Council’s Corporate Equality and Diversity team. OS Grid Reference: X-593590 Y-171565 Postcode: ME12 3RL A4. TYPE OF BID Small project bids (requiring DfT funding of between £2m and £5m) Large project bids (requiring DfT funding of between £5m and £10m) A5. EQUALITY ANALYSIS Has any Equality Analysis been undertaken in line with the Equality Duty? Yes No An Equality Impact Assessment Initial Screening Report has been completed in line